Gaming devices which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming devices generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming devices, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
In such known gaming devices, the amount of the wager made on the primary game by the player may vary. For instance, the gaming device may enable the player to wager a minimum number of credits, such as one credit (e.g., one penny, nickel, dime, quarter or dollar) up to a maximum number of credits, such as five credits. This wager may be made by the player a single time or multiple times in a single play of the primary game. For instance, a slot game may have one or more paylines and the slot game may enable the player to make a wager on each payline in a single play of the primary game. Thus, it is known that a gaming device, such as a slot game, may enable players to make wagers of substantially different amounts on each play of the primary or base game ranging, for example, from 1 credit up to 125 credits (e.g., 5 credits on each of 25 separate paylines). Accordingly, it should be appreciated that different players play at substantially different wagering amounts or levels and at substantially different rates of play.
Secondary or bonus games are also known in gaming devices. The secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Certain secondary or bonus games are activated or hit upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game. For instance, a bonus symbol occurring on the payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine may hit the secondary or bonus game. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming devices is the occurrence or triggering of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be).
Secondary or bonus games which enable a player to combine multiple independent features for the same play of the secondary or bonus game increase player excitement and enjoyment. For example, a gaming device may enable a player to select a first feature of applying a multiplier to any award of that play of the bonus game and also select a second different feature of causing one or more symbols to function as wild symbols for that same play of the bonus game. Enabling a player to select which features to employ for a play of a bonus game (and to combine different features) provides the player a sense of control over the play of the bonus game and thus increases player excitement and enjoyment.
However, combining different features for the same play of a bonus game often non-linearly increases the average expected payout of the bonus game (i.e., the average expected payout of the bonus game is increased more than an increase to the average expected payout of adding the two individual features together). For example, a gaming device with a bonus game that employs the independent features of applying a multiplier to any award and also causing one or more symbols to function as wild symbols non-linearly increases the average expected payout for that play of the bonus game because the increased wild symbols result in an increased probability of winning an award which is then modified by the multiplier. In this example, one employed feature affects another employed feature to cause a non-linear increase to the average expected payout for that play of the bonus game. Such a configuration thus introduces a level of strategy into the bonus game because certain strategic or knowledgeable players will combine independent features which result in a play of a bonus game with a first average expected payout while certain less strategic or less knowledgeable players will combine independent features which result in a play of a bonus game with a second, lower average expected payout. Such a configuration thus reduces the level of excitement and enjoyment for less strategic or less knowledgeable players.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need to provide new and different gaming devices and gaming systems as well as new and different ways to provide bonus awards to players without requiring strategy to maximize the bonus game average expected payout.